A Very Dangerous Game
by TsukiyamaMewwChan
Summary: Year 580, the country is at war. And they have Rin's older brother./LenXRinXMikuo/Rin is determined to find him no matter what, and soon realizes that there's more than just her life on the line./ "This isn't a playground. You've entered a dangerous game and the only way to win is to survive."
1. Brother, My Brother

_Prologue_

_Haku was sure that they were coming, so she tried to make things quick. She tried her best to clean the twins up quickly, and put them in suitable clothing. _

_"Give me the boy," Nanami Kagamine, the mother, said, her voice coming out in a whisper. "Please."_

_Haku obeyed, picking up the infant, who already had traces of blonde hair poking up on the top of his head. Handing the baby to his mother, she cradled the girl, and stroked her head to ease her whimpering._

_Nanami untied the necklace from around her neck. Haku, looking up gasped and began to stand, "Nanami, that's your husband's-"_

_"He's gone," the other woman snapped, "has been for a few months." Nanami tied it around her baby boy's neck, and it hung loosely on him. "He needs something to know us by."_

_Haku was about to protest, but jumped when she heard a loud pounding at the door. "The Liberation Forces are here," she said hurriedly, "tuck it under his clothes." _

_Nanami obliged hastily. "The letter, Haku, you must give it to him," she pleaded, and Haku's heart began to speed up. She could tell Nanami was losing strength._

_"Open up or I will knock the door down!" _

_Haku grabbed the baby boy. "Of course." She told her dying best friend, her hand testing on Nanami's. She smiled at her before racing to the door of the small house, and threw it open._

_Haku breathed out heavily. "Captain Megurine," she said, giving the man a small curtsy. "It is an honor to be in your presence." _

_The Captain looked un-amused. "I am here for the Kagamines' son." _

_Haku nodded, holding the boy out in her arms. "I am sure he will be a great asset for the future of Venomania."_

_The Captain took the baby in his arms, and gave Haku a small nod of his head. _

_"We thank you for your cooperation and sacrifice to the future of our country." _

_With that, the door was shut and Haku ran back to Nanami._

_"My baby..." Nanami whispered, her eyes drooping closed. Haku nodded and gave her the baby girl. "Twins," she mused, holding her baby girl in her arms, stroking her head and cheeks, "yet they will never know each other..." Haku held her friends hand, a tear sliding down her cheek. "My Rin..."_

_Haku felt Nanami's hand go limp, and the other that was once stroking her baby fallen on her stomach. She held back a sob, her hand reaching out to close Nanami's eyes. The girl was now screeching, as if she knew of her mother's death, and that her cries would revive her, and maybe, Haku thought, if she joined the infant they would succeed._

_Haku grabbed the girl, holding her to her chest. "Shh," she whispered, "It's okay. Everything will be fine, little one. I promise I'll take care of you, Rin."_

* * *

_Sixteen years later..._

**_Rin_**

I clutched the locket around my neck, eyes bearing into Haku's. She wears a sad smile on her face, her hands playing with her dress like they usually did when she was nervous.

"Your brother is out there… with the Liberation Forces." She said, finally looking up at me.

"The Liberation Forces," I repeated. "And you waited until now to tell me?"

"I'm sorry, but this is the way your mom wanted it."

I continued to stare at her, but I felt myself slipping. I tilted my head back and blinked hard a few times. I've always hated crying in front of people.

"How will I know which is him?" I ask, finally looking down at her.

"She has the same locket as you," she said, "and, if it's any help, he should look like you."

I let go of my locket, and walk over to the bed pushed into the corner.

"I need to get dressed," I said softly, not turning around. "I have to go," I add, and I hear her sigh.

"I know. But you'll have Kaito, and he's a strong young man." She said, trying to lift the mood with her comment where you could basically hear her eyebrows wiggling at me.

I could feel my cheeks get warm.

"Stop, Haku!" I protest, turning to her. She has a soft smile on her face, replacing her sad one. "I've known him since forever and we're _friends_, and it's going to stay that way!"

She laughed. "Yes, yes I know. Now let's get you dressed, shall we?"

* * *

Haku dressed me in a simple white dress with frills at the bottom, and around my waist was a thin pink ribbon. She told me it was once my mothers, and I perked up when she said that.

My mother. What exactly was she like? I like to think of her as a pure woman, with friendly smiles and an upbeat attitude, but Haku says she was very outspoken, with a short temper to boot. She likes to think that's where my "bad attitude" comes from, but I try to derail her ideas. If that's how my mother was, I want to try and be different, not make the same mistake she did in choosing to keep my twin brother a secret from me.

But maybe that's just me being angry.

I hear Kaito walking into the house, but I stay in my bathroom, taking one last look at my reflection. There are bags under my red eyes, and I've neglected to clip my bangs, which I have to push behind my ears.

I dab under my eyes one last time with a towel then open the door.

"Hey Rin," he greeted, his blue eyes assessing me. I know he knows I've been crying. "Are you ready to go?"

I open my mouth to answer, but what I want to say doesn't come out. I turn to Haku, who gives me an encouraging smile.

"I have something I want to give to you before you go," she said, and made her way to the bed. Kaito stands by me in an attempt for comfort, and I take his arm into mine. Haku pulled out a box from under the bed, and pulled a chain off from around her neck. "You're mom gave me this key," she told her, opening the box. She pulled out a white ribbon and some other accessories. "These were hers. They'd look good with your dress, though."

I stared at the ribbon in her hands before she came up to me and started wrapping it around my head. When she was done, I went over to the small mirror in the bathroom to take a look.

It was pretty. It made me look younger.

Haku made a _tsk_ sound and gave me some white clips.

"Your hair has gotten long." She clipped my bangs back and I turned to her gratefully.

"Haku..." I didn't know how I was going to be able to leave her behind. Her and Kaito are the only family I know, how can I leave half of it behind?

I could feel tears threatening to spill again. Haku noticed immediately pulled me into her, wrapping her arms around me. I clung onto her, and tried my best to hold in my tears. I looked past her shoulder and looked to Kaito, who gave me a warm smile, and nudged slightly to the door.

I let go of Haku.

"I have to go now."

"I know."

As I left my house, I wondered when I'd be able to come back.

* * *

I grabbed Kaito's sleeve. It was reassuring to have something familiar with me, something from the life I'm leaving behind.

After I left Haku, I noticed Kaito's attire. He wore a simple white dress shirt and black pants. He actually managed to brush his hair for today too.

We walked to the station together in silence. There was nothing for me to say, and I couldn't bring myself to speak lightly.

"Rin," he said suddenly, jolting me out of my thoughts. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," I replied suddenly, surprising myself. "I have to."

"It's going to be dangerous."

"I'll try not to die," I told him, trying to say it as lightly as I could, but he just shot me a glare.

"Rin."

"Kaito," I replied, mocking him. When he replied with a hard look, I could feel my throat constrict. "I need to do this...my brother-"

"Brother?" He asked, and I bit my tongue. I forgot I never told him.

"I'll tell you on the train. I promise," I added quickly. He gave me a confused look but turned back, continuing to walk. He knows not to press me any further. He knows I'm stubborn.

"Whatever you're in it for," he said quietly, as I could see the station come into view. "I'm going to protect you."

I squeezed his sleeve a little tighter.

"I know."

* * *

_**Hello. Welcome to my new fanfiction! I promise Len and Mikuo will make an appearance in the next chapter ^0^**_


	2. Battler

_**Rin**_

The train boarded about an hour ago, and as I sat next to Kaito, I was assessing the other kids on board.

There were a group of girls in the back, who all talked loudly, and their laughing was enough to make me want to get up and punch them all in the face. I had a feeling that most of them wouldn't make it on the battlefield, and the others would have those smiles wiped off their faces forever.

The boys all had stoic expressions on their faces. Trying to look cool, I guess. What struck me was a smaller boy, who might've been around 13, sitting by himself, kicking his legs (that didn't reach the ground) back and forth. He was significantly younger than the rest of us, and I wondered what brought him here.

I got bored looking at the other recruits and looked out the window behind me. After we had exited the city wall, there were no cities or towns to look at. Just a lot of trees, and if you were lucky, you got to see a deer run past.

As I told Kaito about my twin brother, his expression was solemn. He also had an older brother taken from him when he was young when they had received a notice that his dad had died in battle. His older brother, Akaito, who he was named after, had gone MIA a month ago, and he completely understood my situation, but mine is not the same as his. My brother is still alive, and I was just told of his existence.

If it would please Mother to have her children reunited, I will make it happen. No matter what.

I started to get anxious. I've been sitting, doing nothing for far too long, and I was never good at sitting still, or paying attention, for that matter. I looked to Kaito, who had fallen asleep at some point and inwardly groaned. With nothing better to do, I leaned on Kaito's shoulder and closed my eyes.

* * *

I had woken up when I heard the train whistle.

"You hate napping," Kaito pointed out when I straightened up. I pouted at him.

"There was nothing to do!" I protested, and Kaito replied with a smile. I huffed, crossing my arms. "It didn't help that you were asleep too."

"I didn't get much sleep last night," he admitted, and I unfolded my arms.

"Me neither."

Before Kaito or I could say anything else, the announcer's voice vibrated throughout the train.

"We have arrived in Madeira, the capital city. Please get ready to exit the train."

As we exited, I had to cling on to Kaito. The other kids were pushy, and if I didn't want to get lost or left behind, Kaito was my only option.

"What the hell is this?!" I asked, as I got an elbow to the side.

"What?!"

I was shoved to the side again with a growl I turned. "Watch what the hell you're doing!"

A haughty girl with dark green hair glared at me, her arms crossed around her chest. Her dark green eyes were narrow, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Whatever," she scoffed, and then looked me up and down. "What's a frail little girl doing here, huh? Shouldn't you be at home playing with your mom?"

"My mom is dead," I spat at her. The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What a shame, by the looks of you, you'll end up joining her."

I had to restrain myself from lunging at her.

"Back off!" Kaito said, switching positions with me.

The girl assessed Kaito. Looking him up and down, she seemed pleased with him.

"You look strong," She said, smirking. Kaito gave her a _what the fuck _kind of look and she just laughed. "If you ever want to ditch the doll, I might even let you work beside me." With that, she pushed through the crowd, and was soon out of sight.

"Bitch," I snarled, fists clenched. I'd love to smack her around.

"Don't let her get to you," Kaito said, and we began walking forward again. "She just wants to break you. She seems like the type of person who wants to come out on top," he observed, letting me grab onto his arm again.

"Well I'm the type of person who won't let that happen."

* * *

When we finally make it to the center, I'm exhausted. It's been 4 hours since I left home and I've never been so homesick in my life. If I can't get past four hours how am I going to last months, even years here?

The training center is actually underground. No one even gave us a tour; I suppose they expect us to figure things out ourselves. I remember checking in and being given a room number, so when I depart with Kaito, I have to ask a trainee where the rooms are. I follow their instructions and go deeper underground.

I expected things to be darker, and dank, but I get a refreshing opposite. I reach the corridor where my room, #362 is, and find myself in a beautiful hallway, and I'm taken back at how familiar it looks. I gasp suddenly, and I realize that it's decorated exactly like my house.

"It's magic."

I turn around at the sudden voice, and find myself face to face with a boy.

He's probably a bit older than I am, but it's hard to tell with such a youthful grin adorning his pale face. He has teal hair, shiny like silk, and his eyes are only a shade darker.

"Excuse me?"

"The rooms, this hall... Magic. Specialized to look exactly how you want it," he replies, nonchalantly. I then notice the blade he holds in his left hand, spinning and twirling it around. He smirks, noticing me watching, and throws it above his head.

I gasp, and his smirk only grows wider as he catches it as it flies back down, without him even looking.

"Years of practice," he said, continuing to twirl it.

Realization dawns on me.

"You're a Battler!"

The Battler scrunches his eyebrows together. "A Battler," he said, "a child given to the Liberation Forces under the circumstance that a parent under the Force either died or gone missing, only under the rule of debt to dear Venomania," he stopped twirling his dagger and looked me straight in the eyes. "Sure, I'm a Battler."

My breath hitches and immediately I begin to regret my outburst. "I'm sorry-"

"Sorry?" He repeated. "Don't be. Never knew my parents anyway, plus, when you grow up like I did, your family and home would be here." The Battler began to brush past me, and while I processed his words I nearly forgot something.

"I never caught your name!" I yelled to him, and he stopped walking to turn his head back to look at me, and then smiled.

"Don't believe I ever dropped it." He turned back and ran out, leaving me behind.

What a weird guy.

I continued to walk down the hall until I found my room, and I slipped inside quietly.

Like the teal Battler said, it looked like my old room. Instead of making me feel better it just made me even more homesick, and I hurriedly took out my hair accessories before plopping down on the bed of my side of the room (I could tell because the other side had clothes thrown all over it) and as I shut my eyes I wondered what it would be like to grow up like my brother did, a Battler, trapped alone here, never knowing his family.

* * *

**_I know I promised Len in this chapter, and I'm sorry! There will definetly have Len in the next one. Gomen!_**


	3. Squad 317

_**Rin**_

I was (rudely) woken up from my nap with what sounded like something clattering to the floor. I groaned, trying to sit up with my tired limbs.

In the doorway was a girl, presumably my roommate, and her mouth was hanging open in an o. We just stared at each other for a while, until she decided to finally talk.

"No way!" She flipped the lights on and tried rushing over to me, but instead lamely face-planted after tripping over the things she dropped (which was a pile of books, strange for someone to have in this place). She cursed loudly, picking herself up and kicking the books to her side of the room before bounding excitedly to me. "Wow! I actually got a roommate!" There were stars in her strangely red eyes.

"Uh," I said.

"I haven't had one in years! It's been awfully boring without one, let me tell you," She said, reaching for my hand, and she grasped it tightly. "My name's Miki! What's yours?"

I winced at her tight grip. "Rin," I replied, trying for a smile.

"Rin? Weird name. So this means you're a new recruit!" She let go of my hand, and with her excitement finally simmered down, she calmly walked to pick up her books and put them on the table beside her bed.

"Yeah," I said, not quite sure what to say to her. Back home, I didn't really have any friends, and I never had any girl friends, but this girl seemed like she intended to become best friends or something. "Are you a Battler?" I asked, not being able to hold in my curiosity.

"Yep," she replied nonchalantly, then said "So Rin, do you have a squad yet?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know, a squad? They're, like, your fighting buddies." She paused. "No, that's not right...um, like a team."

"No." I never even thought about that, and now that I think of it, I heard some kids talking about it on the train.

Miki laughed. "Not surprised, you probably came here to sleep right after you arrived here, huh?" I could feel heat rising up to my cheeks and she laughed again. "That's alright. But, hey, you could join mine!"

"Really? But we just met."

"So? We'll get to know each other."

I was about to say _okay_ when a thought emerged.

"I can't."

"Huh? Why?" She asked, seemingly jumping at my response.

"Uh...I came here with a friend, and um, it wouldn't be fair to him if I left him behind-"

"Oh, no problem, no problem," She said, waving her hand in dismissal. "What's his name? He can join, too."

"Kaito," I replied, then quickly added "Wait, are you sure this is okay?"

"Of course!" She jumped up, and looked at her wristwatch. "It's time for dinner. Hungry?" I nodded and followed her out the door.

* * *

The Cafeteria was a bit rowdy, and I followed Miki close as to not bump into anyone.

The walls were a white, and the floor a simple tile, but it was pretty homely. There were many black tables lining the room, and the one Miki was heading to, as she told me, was in the back.

I didn't know how I felt about joining her squad, who we were probably headed to now, but it was better than nothing. It'll be better than being by myself, definitely, and Miki was a nice person, so I assume her friends are too.

"Here we are," Miki told me, and then announced her arrival. I felt embarrassed when everyone at the tables gaze slipped past Miki's and froze on me. As I felt myself being scanned, I figured it was now or never to take a good look at them too.

There was a girl who looked similar to the Battler I met earlier in the day, with teal hair and eyes, but there was a small difference, considering that she was definitely a girl, with long hair in ponytails, and, a considerable bust size that I secretly wished were mine, and that this girl didn't actually tried to sincerely smile at me.

Next to her was another girl with green hair and eyes, a lighter shade than the girl I met while getting off the train. She was furiously writing something on a piece of paper and I quickly averted my gaze.

My eyes widened when they rested on the next two boys.

"Kaito?"

"That's your friend, Rin?" Miki turned to me.

"Yeah," I replied, but averted my eyes to the boy next to him.

When I looked at him, I could feel my eyes widening. He had golden blonde hair, disheveled for the most part, and round cheekbones. His lips were a light shade of pink, and if I didn't know any better, we-

"Wow, you guys look alike!" Miki exclaimed. I could see a faint blush taint the boys' cheeks. "Are you related?"

I felt like I was just shot, as my mind was reeling slowly, and I couldn't move. _Related. Related. Brother. Twin._

"No," he said curtly. "I've never even seen her before."

Once again, a shot to my chest.

"Okay then," Miki said, breaking a silence that loomed over everyone. "This is Rin."

Everyone said hi.

"I'm Miku," the sweet faced girl with teal hair said. "Nice to meet you."

"Rinto," The blonde said. I looked back at him again, and he looked at me suspiciously. I dropped my eyes to the floor.

"That's Gumi," Miki said, pointing the green haired girl. "She doesn't talk much." Gumi grunted, seemingly pleased.

"Okay," I said in a small voice. Miki told me to sit and I awkwardly sat beside Kaito, who nudged over to give me room.

"Where's idiots?" Miki asked, catching my attention.

"Who knows," Rinto replied, drumming his fingers on the table. "Probably fighting. As usual."

"Who?" I felt stupid, even though I have no reason to know who they're talking about already.

"Len and Mikuo," Miku replied. "They don't get along. Never have."

Miki laughed. "And -get this- they have to share a room together, so it like, never ends."

"Hey, I can hear you, you know." Miku burst into laughter when we all turned to another blonde boy, who, looked too much like Rinto and I felt uncomfortable again.

"Len, what happened to you?" Miku asked, still laughing uncontrollably.

Len sat beside Gumi, and looked extremely pissed off. His hair was the same color as Miku's, tied into a little ponytail in the back. He looked like Rinto and I. I searched him, trying to find a problem with his appearance, but nothing.

"Mikuo dyed my hair when I was sleeping," he mumbled, his hands balling into fists on the table.

Miku laughed even harder, Miki joined in before saying, "Oh my God, you even look kind of like him!"

"Shut up!"

I wonder if Kaito felt as awkward or out of place as I did. They all ended up laughing at Len, who was furious and flustered, and I poked Kaito's knew under the table.

"Yeah?" He whispered, bending down to my ear.

"Not to sound rude, or anything," I replied quietly, "but how'd you end up here too?"

"Rinto's my roommate, and no, you don't sound rude," he took a deep breath. "Rin, Rinto is strikingly similar to you-"

"I know." I didn't know what to say next, and I began to feel uncomfortable _again_. "He could be-"

"The one you're looking for?" Kaito finished my sentence. I sighed in reply.

I really didn't think this through well enough. How do I know for sure if Rinto is my brother? I don't even know anything about him, really. Not even as much as a name.

"Hey, are you alright?" Miku asked suddenly, and I realized I was staring down at the table.

"Who're they?" Len asked, his fists relaxing as he removed them from the table.

"Uh," was all I could say.

"That's Rin, my new roommate, and Kaito, her friend. They're going to join the squad!" Miki replied happily.

"WHAT?" Len jumped up, nearly falling backward. "We can't! We promised we wouldn't add in newbies!"

The way he referred to us as newbies ticked me off.

"Len, she's my roommate! Plus I already promised!"

"You promised me before!"

"Just let them join," Rinto added in lazily, and Len's icily stared at me.

"Shut up," Len spat at him, "no one asked you!"

"Hey!" I shouted, jumping out of my chair too. "Don't yell at him like that!" Len raised an eyebrow at me and I felt myself go rigid, realizing what I'd did, but stood strong, fiercely baring my eyes into his. He uncurled his fists and sighed, sitting down.

"Fine," he said, tugging on his teal locks in annoyance. "Whatever. I don't care. I'm going to be stuck training them anyway."

Miki looked like she was ready to smack him but was interrupted by Rinto.

"Where's Mikuo anyway?" He asked when servers finally came to deliver us food. It was steamed salmon, with a nice array of dark vegetables, and it looked and smelled absolutely delicious.

Len picked up a fork and stabbed it into his spinach, which he stared at in disgust but stuffed it into his mouth anyway. With his mouth full, he answered "He said he wasn't hungry and was going up to train some more."

"Oh my gosh! That reminds me!" Miki shouted, twirling her fork in her hands. "Rin- oh, you too Kaito, but your roommate should take care of it- who's your roommate anyway?"

"Rinto."

"Okay, so after dinner we can take you two to pick out some weapons."

I dropped the fork I was holding onto and it clanged onto the plate. "W-weapons?"

"Uh, yeah. What else would you fight with?" Len asked, looking at me like I was the world's biggest idiot.

I glared at him and he just stared back before looking down to his plate again.

"Stop joking around, Rin," Miki said, laughing it off. "Of course, weapons."

I gave Miki a half smile before picking my fork back up and started to eat, quietly enjoying the loud voices of Miki and Miku as they chattered.

* * *

"This," Miki told me, swinging the doors open, "Is the holy weapons room!"

I looked around in awe at all the blades and other sharp weapons in the room, with others that I didn't even know what they were, much less did. There was a huge statue of a warrior in the front, and I reached my hand up to touch the bronze metal but Miku slapped my hand away.

"It's required to have guns, so if you have some strange phobia of them it's going to suck for you," she said, the corner of Miki's mouth twitching up. "Other than that you get whatever you want."

"Battlers like us," Miku added, "are trained in all of these, so whatever you choose you can be properly trained by Len and Mikuo."

"Why not you two?" I ask, walking through a mass of what looked like gauntlets.

"They have the boys train the recruits because they're 'more brutal' " Miku said with a shrug and Miki scoffed.

"Oh." I turned to face them. "What weapons do you guys have?" Miki's face lit up like she was dying to tell me from the start.

"Well, since I've found myself as fit for close combat, I've adopted the fighting fans," she made her way to a table and picked up a white fan with sharp blades lining it, and knives protruding out of it. "Mines different, obviously. After training we get our own custom made." She put it back down. "I prefer my whip, though. Makes me look bad ass." She turned back to me, smiling. "And I have a dagger. I'll show them to you when we get back to the room."

Miku piped up, leaning on the wall. "I'm better at ranged combat, so I have the bow and arrow." She smiled crookedly. "Of course, I need something for close combat so I also use the butterfly swords. You'll see them tomorrow at training."

I pursed my lips. "How do I know what to pick?"

"Choose just whatever looks cool to you. Pick something close and something ranged. Oh, and don't copy us." Miki answered with a wink.

Miku grabbed my arm. "Come with me. You'd look awesome with a sword."

I let her pull me past the axes (which were big, much too large for someone small like me) and to the swords. Everyone was different, and I felt overwhelmed by the amount.

i scanned the rows of larger ones, and the thin ones I recognized as fencing swords. I picked up a rapier, but it was so light that when I tried swinging it, it flew right out of my hand.

"its not for everyone," Miku said with a laugh.

I tried out many others, but they felt either too light or way too heavy for me. Some I couldn't even lift, and if I did I had to use both hands and I trembled too much.

"How about this?" Miki held one out for me.

It was long and sleek. The blade was thin, with a slight curve. The hilt was black speckled with gold.

"What is it?" I ask, reaching to grab it from her.

"A katana."

I took it from her. It balanced perfectly in my hand. I smiled, and Miki handed me a sheath.

"Like it, huh?" She winked and I nodded.

"Why don't we give her throwing knives?" Miku said excitedly. "She'll be like a modern ninja!"

"What's a ninja?" They both looked at each other and began to laugh. I blushed. "Its not like we learn things like that in school," I defended myself.

"Wow, really?" Miki asked, visibly surprised. "What do you learn?"

"Reading."

The two girls were silent, looking at me with wide eyes.

"No science? Math? History, language?" Miku asked.

"No?" Was I supposed to learn those? We had a small school back home, but you could only attend one year because there was no funding.

Miki scratched her head. "Well. We could always tutor you."

"You don't need to," I said quickly. I didn't want them to think even less of me if I couldn't understand. "Besides, I 'm way behind on training than you guys."

"Well, you should at least learn about Venomania's history," Miki replied while Miku nodded approvingly. "I bet Rinto could teach you."

My heartbeat sped up. "Rinto." I repeated, more to myself then them.

"He's the smartest of us," Miku explained.

"Never mind that," Miki said, standing straight. "Let's get you some throwing tools, okay?"

* * *

_**And there's Len. Rin will 'officially' meet Mikuo next chapter, and that's when it starts getting interesting :)**_


	4. Training

Miki ended up giving me throwing knives and what she called ninja stars or throwing stars, telling me they 'completed the look'. Whatever that means.

We just got back to our room, and I realized how dead -tired I was even though I had a nap earlier today.

"I think I'm going to turn in for now," Miki said, right when I was about to say it myself. I nodded, and climbed on the soft mattress.

I laid there for awhile thinking to myself. I thought of Rinto, who looked so eerily like me, but there was also Len, who was like a carbon copy of him (except with his dyed hair, but Miki told me he's blonde), and they could very well be related themselves and have nothing to do with me. But I have to be sure.

I continued thinking of carbon copies and I suddenly thought of the boy I met in the hall, and how Miku and he looked similar. I should've asked if she had a brother.

I was just about to nod off myself before Miki said my name groggily.

"Hm?" I replied, turning on my side to face her. Her eyes were halfway closed, but there was a small smile adorning her pretty face.

"I know you must think I'm annoying," she said, and before I could protest she continued, "But I'm really glad you're here."

It took me a second to reply. "Me too."

She sighed, which I assumed was a happy sigh and smiled faintly.

She closed her eyes and I was ready to also, but then she said:

"Please don't end up like Neru."

Her breathing slowed down until finally she was asleep. I was not so lucky. My mind whirred with thoughts again. Who's Neru? Were they a boy or a girl? What happened to this person?

I didn't want to wake her up to ask so I just turned back around and prayed for sleep.

I woke up to a loud ringing vibrating through the room. Jumping up, a burst of adrenaline pumped through me and I began to fumble out of my blankets.

"Calm down," Miki said, as she was sitting on her bed, toying with a hair band. "It's the wakeup bell."

I exhaled through my mouth and plopped back down.

"No, you can't go back to sleep!" Miki scolded, and I huffed as I say back up. She smiled and said, "Breakfast is in an hour. If you haven't noticed, there's a bathroom over there so you can wash up if you want." I looked over in surprise, not noticing the bathroom door at all yesterday.

I got up and made my way to the bathroom. Inside it was pretty standard, except there was a shower. Back at home, no one had showers. Just baths.

I decided to take my first ever shower and found it quite refreshing. I stepped out cleaner than I ever felt after a bath.

Stepping back into the bathroom with a towel around me, I noticed clothes sitting on my newly made bed.

"What's this?" I asked, pointing. Miki turned from tying her long hair into a ponytail to me.

"I went and got you those when you were showering. They're your training clothes. Not your only pair of course, but that should do for today."

I went over and picked up the shirt. It was a black tank top, and seemed like it was a loose fit, lucky me. The pants were big then synched at the ankles.

"Black," I observed.

"Training clothes," Miki said, with a hint of disgust. "Are in desperate need of a makeover."

I followed Miki back to the Cafeteria, which was quieter than last night but still rowdy.

I felt self conscious, because everyone had their hair tied up and I didn't have a hair tie on me. Miki said she'll figure something out, since it was part of the training dress code, but I still felt out of place.

"Hey," I greeted Miku, who was already at the table with Gumi. Her hair was in two braids rather than the pony tails I'd seen yesterday. "Cute hairstyle." I told her, sitting down opposite of her.

"Yeah, well, my hair is too long and heavy to stay in one ponytail. Falls out."

I smiled at her- which wasn't hard, because she was just a likable person. Miki too.

"Hey," Kaito came and sat beside Miku. "Rinto is on his way, he wanted to stop by the library."

"Library?" I perked up. When I was younger, I spent my days reading books. It filled the void of company, and after I became friends with Kaito, I hadn't read as much. But reading, just the thought, made me excited.

"The library here is huge!" Gumi piped up, which surprised me, since she was so quiet yesterday. "It's beautiful." Stars twinkled in her eyes.

"I want to see it," I said, looking to Miki.

She shrugged. "I guess I can show you later."

For the first time since I got here (which actually felt like a long time ago) my lips spread into a wide smile.

"You're so cute, Rin!" Miku exclaimed. I blushed and made my smile disappear, which resulted in a pouring Miku and a giggling Miki.

Miki stopped laughing and suddenly stood up. "Mikuo! You actually made it!"

I looked up, excited to meet another new face, but the face I looked up to wasn't new.

"Mikuo, Rin. Rin, Mikuo." Miki said delightfully.

"You're that one guy," I said, embarrassed about my insensitive Battler announcement. "The...err."

"Battler?" He finished my sentence, putting a hand on his hip. "You're that one chick. I remember you."

"You've met?" Kaito asked, clearly confused.

"Yesterday," I replied. "You're in this squad?"

"Yeah, and I'm guessing by the way you said that you've been invited." He looked at Miku. "Did you invite her?"

"Miki did," Miku replied, putting her hands up in defense.

Mikuo eyed Miki but said nothing, pushing Miku aside to sit in between her and Kaito.

"Where's Len?" Miki asked.

"Still trying to wash out the dye," he snickered, "but if you ask me, he looks better with it in."

"Um," I asked, looking up at Miku. "Are you and Mikuo related?"

Miku raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Mikuo. They looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Related?" Miku repeated, wiping her eyes. "Oh, no. _Hell no."_

"Thank God," Mikuo added, and their roaring laughter grew.

I pressed my lips together tightly. They look so much alike, how can't they be related?

Breakfast came. It was potatoes, with dark colored bread spread with butter.

"Carbs," Miki said, picking up a potato with her fork, "Good for working out." She winked, which she seems to do a lot, and plopped the potato in her mouth.

After breakfast, Kaito and I followed everyone to the training room.

There are two main parts of the training room. The first part is where you train with your weapons. There were many dummies and targets, and rings where people practiced on each other. In the corner of the room, there was a door that led to the Simulator, where you fight in a virtual landscape with a partner. There was another door on the other side, leading to the gun range. It's required to spend 4 hours a day in here.

In the second room was the fitness room. There were odd machines that you run on, and it's like a never ending game of chase. There were many different weights made specific for different areas. It was required to spend 2 hours a day in here.

Long story short: I was going to die.

Len was found by Miku, walking out of the gun range. He scowled at Mikuo who just shrugged back at him. His hair was less bright than the night before, but the color was still not washed out yet.

"So, Len, I think you should take Kaito with you to the fitness room," Mikuo said, crossing his arms. "You're better at tracking times and weights and that shit," he said, adding a smirk at the end. Len glared at him.

"Why can't I do the weapons training?" He demanded.

"Because I'm the squad Captain, not you," Mikuo stated.

"Don't fight with him Len, he's too stubborn to budge anyway," Miki sighed, pulling Miku and Miki with her to a different area of the room.

Len clicked his tongue in his mouth. "Whatever, so I'll take Kaito for morning training then, and then I'll take Rin for afternoon." He looked me right in the eyes, and my cheeks reddened.

"Sure, okay."

"I hope you know we're going to avoid you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Len stalked off to the fitness room, and Kaito gave me a look before following after him.

I looked away as they walked through the door and looked at Mikuo, who was already looking at me with a half smile.

"Let's get started, shall we?" He said, and that's when I noticed the large circular weapons hanging from his belt. They were a dark blue, with sharp edges lining the outside and blades protruding from them. He grabbed them from the middle, and began to spin them around. "Chakrams." He stated, looking at me as I gaped at the graceful way he handled them.

I remember going to a theatre with Haku once, and there was a dancer who carried fans with her, and they way Mikuo spun them in his hands, like a dance, was almost the same.

"Cool." I said, and took the katana sword from the sheath hanging on my belt that I had equipped after breakfast. "Katana."

He laughed, and placed his Chakrams back on his belt. "Let's learn how to handle that, okay?" He led me over to the dummies, whispered something to a guard standing nearby, who nodded and walked off.

The walls in front of me were covered in large mirrors, and I stared at myself. I smiled, trying to make myself look better than what I saw. It didn't work.

"Why aren't the professionals training us?" I asked, it suddenly dawning on me that there were adults capable of teaching Kaito and I, but they weren't, and the only adults I've seen are servers and guards.

"They're training new Battlers," he said dryly, and that's when the guard came back, handing Mikuo a katana. "Anyway, don't worry about it. Let's get down to business."

He walked behind me, and reached his arms around me and grabbed my hands.

I jumped, feeling self conscious. "What are you doing? I demanded, and felt as his body shook with silent laughter.

"I'm trying to help you. Here, you use two hands to hold the katana." He placed one hand near the top of the hilt and the other on the bottom. "Make sure you have a good grip on it, but not too tight."

I breathed out and realized that I was holding it tightly. I tried to relax, which wasn't easy considering I was tense everywhere else since there was a boy I just met so close to me.

"Better." He said, feeling my hands relax on the blades hilt and he let go, and took a step back. "Wait, no," he sighed, standing behind me again and kneeled down.

"Hey-" I jumped again when he placed his hands on my sides, and I saw how red my cheeks were in the mirror.

"You're too tense!" Mikuo said, his voice laced with frustration.

"Well excuse me! There's a guy I barely know holding my hips!"

"Just relax!"

I shot him a look in the mirror which he did not pay any mind to. Then I sucked a deep breath in, my chest rising and falling with the long breath out.

"Better," Mikuo said, his hands loosening but not leaving my sides. "Keep going."

I continued breathing in and out. Breathe in for three seconds, hold for five, breath out for three more. My face was losing color every time I breathed out.

"Good." He let go of me again and took a step back. I eyed him warily as his lips twisted into a smirk. "You're blushing again."

I yelped as I looked into the mirror, my face and ears burning, and Mikuo laughed beside me.


End file.
